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Kent Bat Migration Research

Baseline Report

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Issuing office Worton Park | Worton | Oxfordshire | OX29 4SX

T: 01865 883833 | W: www.bsg-ecology.com | E: [email protected]

Job Kent Bat Migration Research

Report title Baseline Report

Draft version/final FINAL

File reference Kent Bat Migration Research Baseline Report_12122013

Name Position Date

Originated Laura Jennings Senior Ecologist 18 November 2013

First Review Owain Gabb Principal Ecologist 19 November 2013

Second Review Steve Betts Partner 29 November 2013

Final Review Peter Shepherd Partner 11 December 2013

Issued Laura Jennings Senior Ecologist 12 December 2013

Disclaimer

BSG Ecology has exercised due care in preparing this report. It has not, unless specifically stated, independently verified information provided by others. No other warranty, express of implied, is made in relation to the content of this report and BSG Ecology assumes no liability for any loss resulting from errors, omissions or misrepresentation made by others.

Any recommendation, opinion or finding stated in this report is based on circumstances and facts as they existed at the time that BSG Ecology performed the work.

Derbyshire, Oxford, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Monmouth, Swansea | BSG Ecology is a trading name of Baker Shepherd Gillespie LLP

Registered in: England and Wales | No. OC328772 | Registered address: Wyastone Business Park, Monmouth, NP25 3SR


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Contents

1 Background to this Study .............................................................................................................................. 2

2 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 3

3 Methods ......................................................................................................................................................... 5

4 Results ........................................................................................................................................................... 8

5 Discussion ................................................................................................................................................... 15

6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 19

7 References .................................................................................................................................................. 20

Appendix 1 – Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 21

Appendix 2 – Photographs ................................................................................................................................. 22

Appendix 3 .......................................................................................................................................................... 23


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1 Background to this Study

1.1 In 2012 BSG Ecology undertook a pilot study on bat migration during which a static detector was deployed at Dungeness in Kent to remotely monitor bat activity. The aim was to determine whether pulses of bat activity indicative of migration could be detected at the site. Dungeness was chosen for the initial work because of its geographical location, physical characteristics and due to the presence of the observatory, which has a permanent ecologist (who was able to service the detector). It is approximately 41km west of the French coast, and bats (and birds) moving between continental Europe and the UK would minimise time spent over the sea if crossing the English Channel at this location. It therefore seems a logical place for bats to move into and out of the UK.

1.2 For most bat species recorded in 2012 no clear patterns of activity emerged. However, for Nathusius’ pipistrelle Pipistrellus nathusii there was a notable increase in bat passes per hour during the known migratory period for the species in Europe, i.e. September and May. There was a peak in September which corresponded with the key period in which bats are considered to head south-west from Scandinavia to overwinter in warmer climates (Russ et al, 1998). The May peak corresponded with the period in which bats are thought to migrate back to continental and further within Europe to breed. A continued low level of passes throughout the year suggested that there was also a resident population in the area which was possibly augmented with migrants from continental Europe in autumn.

1.3 The pattern of Nathusius’ pipistrelle activity recorded at Dungeness in 2012 is similar to the timing of records from sources including the National Bat Monitoring Programme survey results, grounded bats within the UK and occurrence of bats on oil platforms and other structures out at sea (Bat Conservation Trust, 2012).

1.4 In the absence of incontrovertible evidence of migration it was concluded that further research was necessary to obtain a more robust baseline of evidence to better interpret any timing of apparent pulses of movement and to identify the front across which they occur. It was concluded that the study could be expanded and moved forward in several ways:

a. Interpreting the data further to establish whether any other variables such as weather or moon phases may have influenced bat activity;

b. Continuing to survey at Dungeness to establish whether the recorded activity pattern is repeated in successive years;

c. Surveying at further east coast locations to identify whether this pattern is also apparent at other locations (possibly indicating movement across a broad front); and

d. Conducting stable isotope analysis of hair samples to identify the likely origins of individuals.

1.5 This report provides details of the further work undertaken to progress the study.


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2 Introduction

2.1 There is currently a lack of information available on the migratory behaviour of British bats. Migration can be defined in many ways but with regard to bats, an appropriate definition is:

“A seasonal, usually two-way, movement from one place or habitat to another to avoid unfavourable climatic conditions and/or to seek more favourable energetic conditions” (Fleming & Eby, 2003).

2.2 Migration is found in all major animal groups, including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and crustaceans. The trigger for the migration may be seasonal change, local climate, local availability of food or it may be related to reproduction. To be considered migration, as opposed to local dispersal, the movement of the animals should be an annual or seasonal occurrence, such as birds migrating south for the winter to avoid unfavourable climatic conditions.

2.3 Studies undertaken in mainland Europe have shown that noctule Nyctalus noctula, Leisler’s bat Nyctalus leisleri and Nathusius’ pipistrelle are long distance migrants which typically migrate 250-1,000 km in spring and autumn, sometimes crossing and foraging over areas of sea (Ahlen et al., 2007, Hutterer et al, 2006). During the 2012 Pilot Study all three species were recorded at Dungeness.

2.4 Nathusius’ pipistrelle was the second most frequently recorded species at Dungeness in 2012. The species was recorded each month between April and October inclusive, with the highest levels of activity recorded in May (n = 43; 0.26 B/h) and September (n = 112; 0.34 B/h). Comparatively low activity levels were recorded in the remainder of months (n = ≤ 15; ≤ 0.1 B/h).

2.5 There are several schools of thought with regard to likely bat migration into and out of Britain. One theory is that bats which hibernate in south-western Europe come to the UK to breed in summer to seek more favourable habitats and climatic conditions. Those bats then depart in autumn to hibernate in south-western Europe again, perhaps where the roosting opportunities offer more favourable energetic conditions. A second theory is that bats which breed in north-eastern Europe come to the UK to hibernate in autumn (Russ et al, 1998; Bat Conservation Trust & University of Bristol, 2009; Bat Conservation Trust, 2012), thus avoiding harsh winter weather. They then return in spring to breed in wetland areas and other favourable habitats with high insect abundance. It is also possible that a combination of both scenarios is occurring.

2.6 In mainland Europe the second theory is proven for Nathusius’ pipistrelle. In early autumn females begin to migrate in a south-westerly direction to congregate and mate with males. In late autumn/early winter, both sexes begin to migrate further south-west to hibernate in Western Europe. The occurrence of individuals on oil platforms in the North Sea between September and November is consistent with a south-westerly movement. At Dungeness in 2012 the rapid increase to 0.34 B/h in September 2012 from the base rate of <0.1 B/h also appears to fit with this pattern of movement. Occurrence of bats on oil platforms in May is consistent with migration in a north-easterly direction. This behaviour appeared to be reflected in the increased number of passes recorded at Dungeness in May 2012 (0.26 B/h).

2.7 In mainland Europe 60,000 Nathusius’ pipistrelles have been banded1. Using this marking it

technique it has been possible to determine that the longest recorded migration distance of a Nathusius’ pipistrelle is 1,905 km (Dietz et al, 2009). Nathusius’ pipistrelle is most often associated with water bodies, woodlands and small areas of urbanisation. The Bat Conservation Trust has been running a pilot study on Nathusius’ pipistrelle since 2009 focusing on large freshwater bodies to improve knowledge of the autumn distribution of Nathusius' pipistrelle across the UK (Bat Conservation Trust, 2012). Nathusius’ pipistrelles are known to be resident and breed in the UK (Russ, 2001) but the origin of these bats is unknown; potentially comprising a mix of resident and migratory individuals.

2.8 An increase in records of Nathusius’ pipistrelle in the British Isles in recent years may reflect sampling effort, although the possibility that the species’ range is expanding cannot be discounted (Bat Conservation Trust, 2012).

1 Banding typically involves the use of metal rings with unique identification numbers.


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Aim of Study

2.9 The 2012 Pilot Study (Jennings et al, 2013) at Dungeness confirmed that further survey was necessary to identify whether pulses of activity indicative of migration occur. David Walker, warden of the Dungeness Bird Observatory, kindly agreed to continue to assist with the research by servicing the static detector again in 2013.

2.10 Following the initial study it was concluded that the study could be considerably strengthened by surveying additional coastal locations in Kent. This would allow patterns of recorded activity to be analysed and compared between sites. Locations were selected where wardens could readily service the detectors. Ian Hodgson from Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory and Robert Sonnen from the National Trust at The White Cliffs of Dover both agreed to help with the project and so they were trained to use the detectors in April 2013.

2.11 Each detector was deployed on 10th April and collected on 15

th November. It was anticipated that

the expanded data set obtained would considerably strengthen the knowledge base and enable more confident conclusions to be drawn by: (i) identifying potential fronts of movement and (ii) comparing timing of records to see if the sites show the same patterns of bat activity.

2.12 Detectors were also deployed at other locations within the UK including Spurn Point (east Yorkshire), Portland Bill (Dorset) and the Severn Estuary (Bristol Channel). The findings of these studies will be incorporated to a final report (which will also take account of the stable isotope work [below] in 2014).

2.13 Another element of the study included collection of Nathusius’ pipistrelle hair samples to assess the stable hydrogen isotope ratios of the fur keratin in order to identify the likely origins of individuals. A total of 25 samples were sent to Berlin for analysis in November 2013, the results of which will be incorporated into this report in February 2014.

2.14 In summary, the aim of this 2013 research has been to:

Continue to survey at Dungeness to establish whether the recorded activity pattern is repeated in successive years;

Survey at two further east coast locations in Dover and Sandwich Bay to identify whether similar patterns of bat activity are shown at these locations; and

Conduct stable isotope analysis of hair samples to identify the likely origins of individuals.

Acknowledgements

2.15 BSG Ecology would like to thank David Walker from the Dungeness Bird Observatory, Ian Hodgson from Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory and Robert Sonnen from the National Trust at The White Cliffs for servicing the AnaBat detectors and sending through the data. Without their support this research project would not have been possible.

2.16 We would also like to thank members of the Kent Bat Group including Shirley Thompson and John Puckett for their help in shaping the project. In addition Stable Isotope Analysis wouldn’t have been possible without the help of:

Matt Dodds, Patty Briggs and their fellow surveyors for collecting samples in Bedfont, Middlesex, Greater London.

Stephen Davison for amending his licence to collect hair samples in Newport, South Wales.

Richard Crompton for collecting hair samples whilst radio tracking in Cardiff Bay, Wales.

Christian Voigt (Liebniz Institute for Zoo & Wildlife Research, Berlin) for analysis of samples.


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3 Methods

3.1 BSG Senior Ecologist Laura Jennings visited the three survey sites (Dungeness, Dover and Sandwich Bay) on 10 April 2013. The purpose of the site visits was to train the Bird Observatory managers and National Trust staff to service the AnaBat units used in the study. This included changing the batteries, downloading the data and troubleshooting any basic problems.

Dungeness

3.2 The AnaBat SD1 bat detector was located at Dungeness Bird Observatory, Ordnance Survey Grid Reference TR085172, 6m above sea level, and 0.65km from Mean High Water. The position of the detector relative to the other sites is shown on Figure A1.1 in Appendix 1 (Location 1).

3.3 Dungeness is a very large area of dry, partially vegetated shingle, which is open and provides little shelter for foraging or commuting bats and limited roosting opportunities. These factors suggest that baseline levels of bat use of the area are likely to be very low. However, habitat within the vicinity of the detector includes a row of buildings within a depression with small areas of scrub as shown in Photos 1-2 in Appendix 2. This habitat often supports migrant passerines, and is also likely to attract any bats that are moving through (as there are limited sheltered foraging opportunities within the local area). Within a 1km radius Long Pits, an area of standing freshwater and scrub 0.6km north of the detector location, is the only other area of suitable foraging habitat. By deploying the detector at the observatory as opposed to in the more open habitats, we were more likely to detect bats, and therefore more likely to identify changes in bat encounter rates.

3.4 Dungeness is approximately 41km west of the French coast, and consequently this is one of the narrowest areas of open sea that bats would have to cross if migrating between the UK and continental Europe. It is therefore reasonable to assume that this is likely to be focal point for any bat migration that might take place.

Dover

3.5 The detector at Dover was deployed within land managed by the National Trust at The White Cliffs (located on the cliffs above Dover port 99 m above sea level and 0.3 km inland). The AnaBat SD1 bat detector was located at Ordnance Survey Grid Reference TR338423. The position of the detector is shown on Figure A1.1 in Appendix 1 (Location 2).

3.6 The detector was located within an area of scrub adjacent to chalk grassland grazed by cattle. The site is fairly open and exposed to the elements, but hedgerows and scrub in the local area provide suitable commuting routes for bats and some foraging opportunities. The cliffs, buildings and mines in the local area provide many opportunities for roosting bats.

3.7 Dover is 34km west of the French coast, being the narrowest area of open sea that bats would have to cross if migrating between the UK and continental Europe. As with Dungeness, it is therefore reasonable to assume that this is likely to be focal point for any bat migration that might take place.

Sandwich Bay

3.8 At Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory the bat detector was located at Ordnance Survey Grid Reference TR355575, 4 m above sea level and 0.9 km from Mean High Water. The position of the detector is shown on Figure A1.1 in Appendix 1 (Location 3).


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3.9 The arable farmland contains many mature hedgerows and there is a pond and stream immediately adjacent to the location of the bat detector. The habitats are optimal for foraging and commuting bats and there are likely to be many areas suitable for roosting nearby.

3.10 Sandwich Bay is approximately 44km west of the French coast, and is consequently the widest area of open sea that bats would have to cross if migrating between Kent and continental Europe. Being a large river, the River Thames 13 km north of the detector may provide a focus for bats on migration, similar to rivers in mainland Europe (Furmankiewicz & Kucharska, 2009).

Technical Details

3.11 The detectors were all deployed on 10 April and collected on 15 November. Each detector was protected by a waterproof ‘pelicase,’ and attached to a 12v external battery to prolong recording time. The microphone (required to detect the bat echolocations) was housed within a section of piping in order to waterproof the unit. A 3m extension cable was used to connect the microphone to the AnaBat.

3.12 The detectors were set to record between half an hour before sunset and half an hour after sunrise. As such, the length of the recording period varied at each site throughout the survey period. Data were sent to BSG on a monthly basis for analysis.

3.13 Data were analysed using Analook software. Analook creates sound files of 15 seconds length once recording has been triggered

2. A label was attached to each file corresponding to each

species recorded within the 15 seconds. Where it was clear that two or more individuals of the same or different species were flying together, files were labelled appropriately. For Nathusius’ pipistrelles, feeding buzzes

3 and social calls

4 were also identified.The data were exported into a

spreadsheet in order to interpret the recordings. The timing of passes after sunset and before sunrise was calculated in order to interpret any patterns in bat activity (for more details on the analysis methods please see Appendix 3).

Stable Isotope Analysis

3.14 To try and provide conclusive evidence of Nathusius’ pipistrelle migration, a Natural England Project Licence was obtained to disturb bats for Science, Education and Conservation purposes (Licence Number 20131257) to allow bats to be captured and fur samples taken. The project aimed to collect hair samples from Nathusius’ pipistrelle bats whilst mist netting with an acoustic lure at Dungeness in October 2013. A single trapping session was conducted on 17th October 2013 led by licence holder Dr Peter Shepherd. Although no samples were obtained at Dungeness, other bat workers amended their Project Licences to include the taking of hair samples at a range of sites throughout the UK

5.

3.15 A total of 25 hair samples were sent to the Liebniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin to assess the stable hydrogen isotope ratios of the fur keratin. Deuterium (or DeltaD) is known as heavy hydrogen. It is one of two stable isotopes of hydrogen. It has a natural abundance in Earth's oceans of about one atom in 6,400 of hydrogen. Thus deuterium accounts for less than 0.02% of all the naturally occurring hydrogen in the oceans, while the most common isotope protium accounts for more than 99.98%. The abundance of deuterium changes slightly from one kind of natural water to another. This means that by comparing deltaD particles it is possible to calculate their origin.

3.16 As the production of hair keratin involves the assimilation of nutrients derived from the places where that animal is living, stable isotope ratios found in fur keratin of bats should correlate with the isotope ratios found in surface water at the bats’ summer habitat. This is possible as bats moult before the onset of migration (Voigt et al, 2012).

2 For the purposes of this analysis, the recording of one or more passes by a single species of bat within a 15 second sound fi le is

counted as a single bat pass (B). 3 A feeding buzz is identified by a rapid decrease in the Inter Pulse Interval (IPI) or time between calls and an increase in frequency

modulation. See example call in Appendix 3, Figure A3.1. 4 Social calls are sounds produced for social communication such as attracting a mate (advertisement or mating calls), defending a

feeding area (patch defence calls), calling for help (distress calls), or mother-infant communication. 5 Matt Dodds amended licence 20123441 for Bedfont; Stephen Davison amended licence 40147:OTH:CSAB:2012 for Newport; and

Richard Crompton collected samples whilst radiotracking bats at Cardiff Bay under licence 43759:0TH:SRAB:2013.


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3.17 The results of the analysis are due in January 2014 and this report will be updated once the results of the stable isotope analysis of these samples become available.

Limitations to this Study

3.18 There were nights during the monitoring period when no sound files were recorded. Typically, even if no bats are present, a limited number of sound files will be created each night due to other high frequency sound sources, such as crickets, wind noise or interference. Where no folders or files have been created for a particular night’s monitoring, it has been assumed that the equipment malfunctioned, the batteries had become exhausted or there was user error. Table 5.1. below shows the number of nights when: (A) a folder was created but no sound files were recorded, or (B) a folder was not created for the night.

Table 3.1: The number of nights when no sound files were recorded each month.

3.19 Recording Period

Number of Nights when no Sound Files were Recorded

Dungeness Dover Sandwich Bay

A B A B A B

10 – 30 April 2 0 2 1 2 14

1 – 31 May 4 0 3 0 1 0

1 – 30 June 5 0 5 0 0 1

1 – 31 July 3 0 2 0 8 8

1 – 31 Aug. 0 0 0 0 0 20

1 – 30 Sept. 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 – 31 Oct. 0 0 1 0 0 0

1 – 15 Nov. 2 2 3 5 2 0

3.20 Although data was lost when the equipment malfunctioned, for example during the 20 nights at Sandwich Bay in August, the data has been expressed as bats per recording hour per bat night (B/h) which allows comparisons to be made between the available data.

3.21 At both the Dungeness and Sandwich Bay Bird Observatories, moth traps have been run near to the detectors on a nightly basis. The traps use bulbs which emit a high proportion of ultra violet light making them especially attractive to light-sensitive invertebrates such as moths and flies. This level of illumination is likely to attract pipistrelle bats and noctules (BCT & ILE, 2009), which are opportunistic and feed around lights, but other species, such as brown long-eared bats Plecotus auritus, which are more sensitive to lighting, may be deterred (and therefore under recorded). The ecologist at Dungeness Bird Observatory regularly observes bats (likely to be Pipistrelle species) feeding on insects as they have come in to the light (David Walker, pers. comm., 2013). There are no artificial light (or other) attractants for bats at Dover, therefore the recorded levels of bat activity at the site are likely to be representative of a non-light affected area.

3.22 On 17th October 2013 a mist net with an acoustic lure was installed at Dungeness in an attempt to

capture Nathusius’ pipistrelle and take fur samples for analysis. The work was conducted under Natural England licence number 20131257. That night 569 Nathusius’ pipistrelle passes were recorded. A single bat was observed foraging for insects attracted to the light from 34 minutes after sunset until 11pm when trapping ceased. The bat continued to forage until 5 hours after sunset. On one occasion 3 hours after sunset two bats were recorded within the same sound file and social calls were also recorded. These 569 passes are considered to be unrepresentative for the site (based on examination of data for other nights) and this has been attributed to the use of the lure, which probably acted as an attractant to the species. As such, data collected on the 17

th October

have been omitted from the analysis to prevent the data being skewed.


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4 Results

Activity of All Bat Species

4.1 Between April and November 2013, at least 8 bat species were recorded at each of the three sites. These included three pipistrelle species (common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle and Nathusius’ pipistrelle), noctule, Leisler’s bat, serotine, at least one species of the genus Myotis, and a long-eared bat.

4.2 Table 4.1 shows the number of nights in which bats were recorded at each site. There were 144 at Dungeness, 152 at Dover and 144 at Sandwich Bay. However, the average bats per hour for each site varied widely. The lowest level of bat activity was recorded at Dover (1.04 B/h; n = 1692 bat passes), the highest was at Sandwich Bay (7.00 B/h; n = 10,998 bat passes) and there was a moderate level of activity at Dungeness (4.14 B/h; n = 6,395 bat passes).

Table 4.1: Summary of bat data recorded each month (10 April- 15 November 2012)

Site Month Number of Bat Nights

Recording Period (hrs)

Number of bat Passes

Bats per Hour (B/h)

Average B/h

Dungeness

April 5 53.1 13 0.24

4.14

May 17 158 107 0.68

June 19 162 70 0.43

July 25 224 2643 11.80

August 29 306 1227 4.01

September 28 347 1043 3.01

October 21 296 1292 4.36

November 0 0 0 0.00

Dover

April 4 42.5 9 0.21

1.04

May 20 185 115 0.62

June 22 187 144 0.77

July 25 224 322 1.44

August 31 326 669 2.05

September 30 372 319 0.86

October 18 256 110 0.43

November 2 31 3 0.10

Sandwich Bay

April 2 21.4 68 3.18

7.00

May 29 271 364 1.34

June 28 237 732 3.09

July 15 138 544 3.94

August 11 112 1927 17.21

September 29 360 5444 15.12

October 28 400 1915 4.79

November 2 31.3 4 0.13

Grand Total 440 4741.72 19085 4.02

4.3 Table 4.2 shows a breakdown of the number of passes of each species recorded at each site throughout the recording period (10 April – 15 November 2013). Where bats could not be identified to species level they have not been included in the table with the exception of Myotis and long-eared bat species (n = 1351 bat passes).

4.4 Common pipistrelle was the most frequently encountered species at each site, with 12,759 passes (3 B/h) accounting for 70 % of all recorded data. Nathusius’ pipistrelle

6 was the next most

6 Nathusius’ pipistrelle has been identified by calls in the frequency range of ≥ 35 kHz and ≤ 40 kHz. Kuhl’s pipistrelle Pipistrellus kuhlii

is also recorded within this frequency range. Further information is provided in the Bat Call Identification section of Appendix 3.


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frequently recorded species with a total of 2,870 passes7 (0.68 B/h), accounting for 19 % of total

encounters whilst soprano pipistrelle accounted for 9 % of encounters. The remaining 5 species/genus’ account for 2 % of recorded calls.

Table 4.2: Number of passes of each species at each site (recorded April-October 2013)

Species

Site Total No.

B/h Dungeness Dover Sandwich Bay

No. B/h No. B/h No. B/h

Noctule 15 0.01 12 0.01 25 0.02 52 0.01

Leisler’s bat 15 0.01 21 0.01 8 0.01 44 0.01

Serotine 4 < 0.01 7 < 0.01 3 < 0.01 14 0.00

Nathusius’ pipistrelle 1576 1.02 118 0.07 1185 0.75 2879 0.61

Common pipistrelle 3878 2.51 1287 0.79 7592 4.83 12757 2.69

Soprano pipistrelle 396 0.26 26 0.02 1282 0.82 1704 0.36

Long-eared bat < 0.01 9 0.01 7 0.00 16 0.00

Myotis sp. 70 0.05 127 0.08 70 0.04 267 0.06

Total No. 5954 3.85 1607 0.99 10172 6.48 17733 3.74

4.5 The pattern of activity at each site varied depending on the species. In Figure 4.1 the pattern of Nathusius’ pipistrelle, common pipistrelle and all other species combined are presented, plotting B/h of all sites together.

4.6 Common pipistrelle was infrequently recorded in April and May, gradually rising in June and rapidly increasing in July (from 1 B/h to 5.6 B/h). Activity remained high in August and September, decreasingly rapidly in October. Common pipistrelle was the only recorded species in November, with 3 passes at Dover and 4 at Sandwich Bay.

4.7 Nathusius’ pipistrelle was recorded fairly consistently throughout April-June, decreasingly rapidly in July, remaining low during August, then rapidly increasing during September and October.

4.8 The other species showed a pattern similar to the common pipistrelle, being consistently low throughout April-June, rising continually between July and September and decreasing rapidly in October.

Figure 4.1: Bat passes per hour (B/h) at all sites combined

7 This excludes the 569 passes recorded at Dungeness on 17 October 2013. See Limitations to Methods section.

0.00

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April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov.

Bat

Pas

ses

Pe

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ou

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/h)

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Common pipistrelle

Nathusius' pipistrelle

Other Species


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4.9 The occurrence of passes after sunset has been broken down into three key, roughly equal periods:

30 minutes before sunset to 3 hours after sunset = 1566.4 hours of recording

Middle of the night = 1348.2 hours of recording

3 hours before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunrise = 1566.4 hours of recording

4.10 Table 4.3 shows that the pattern of activity throughout the night varied between species. The pattern of Nathusius’ pipistrelle, common pipistrelle and all other species combined are presented.

4.11 This analysis has revealed that 49.7 % of common pipistrelle passes were recorded within 3 hours of sunset; 8.6 % of bat passes were recorded within 3 hours of sunrise and the remainder of passes (41.7 %) were recorded in the middle of the night

8. A similar pattern of activity emerged for

the six other species combined, with the highest level of activity within 3 hours of sunset, a moderate amount in the middle of the night and a low amount in the 3 hours before sunrise.

4.12 For Nathusius’ pipistrelle 31.6 % of passes were recorded within the first 3 hours; 58.5 % were recorded in the middle of the night and 9.9 % were recorded within 3 hours of sunrise. There were 8 passes recorded before sunset at Dungeness and 12 before sunset at Sandwich Bay which is before the typical emergence time for the species.

Table 4.3: Distribution of bat passes throughout the night at all sites combined

Species/Group

30 mins before sunset to 3 hrs after sunset

Middle of night 3 hrs before sunrise

to 30 mins after

No. B/h % No. B/h % No. B/h %

Common pipistrelle 6346 4.05 49.7 5315 3.94 41.7 1096 0.70 8.6

Other species 1217 0.78 58.0 712 0.53 34.0 168 0.11 8.0

Nathusius' pipistrelle 909 0.58 31.6 1684 1.25 58.5 286 0.18 9.9

Nathusius’ Pipistrelle Activity

Activity Per Month

4.13 Figure 4.2 and Table 4.4 show the number of confirmed Nathusius’ pipistrelle passes recorded per month at each site. They do not include pipistrelle calls between 40 and 42 kHz. These possible Nathusius’ pipistrelle passes could not be positively identified due to the overlap of call parameters between common and Nathusius’ pipistrelle. Inclusion of these calls in the analysis skews the data, making activity more uniform throughout the year suggesting a proportion are likely to be common pipistrelle (see Appendix 3 for more details).

4.14 The highest level of Nathusius’ pipistrelle activity was recorded at Dungeness, with an average of 0.92 Nathusius’ pipistrelle passes per hour (B/h) throughout the recording period. The level of activity varied each month with the lowest level of activity recorded in August (0.15 B/h; n = 42 bat passes) and the highest in October (4.66 B/h; n = 1214 bat passes).

8 The period between 3 hours after sunset and 3 hours before sunrise varied between 1 hr 23 minutes on 23 June and 9 hrs 08 minutes

on 15 November in Sandwich Bay.


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Dungeness

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Dover

Figure 4.2: Nathusius’ pipistrelle passes per hour at each site throughout the year


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4.15 The number of feeding buzzes9 was counted in order to separate and broadly classify records of

commuting and foraging bats. As shown in Table 4.4, the lowest number of feeding buzzes were recorded at Dover (n = 2), and the highest level of foraging activity was recorded at Sandwich Bay (n = 69). A moderate level of foraging activity was recorded at Dungeness (n = 39).

4.16 Nathusius’ pipistrelle social calls were recorded at Dungeness (n = 3) and Sandwich Bay (n = 6). At Dungeness the calls were recorded 3-6.5 hours after sunset on two occasions in October. At Sandwich Bay they were recorded 3-7 hours after sunset on three occasions in September.

Table 4.4: Bat passes per hour (B/h) of Nathusius’ pipistrelle (April-October 2013)

Site Month Bat

Nights Nathusius'

Nights Nathusius'

Passes Feeding Buzzes

Social Calls

Bats per

hour (B/h)

Average

Du

ng

en

ess

Apr. 5 5 12 1 0 0.25

0.92

May 17 16 50 2 0 0.35

June 19 12 24 0 0 0.17

July 25 15 65 3 0 0.33

Aug. 29 12 42 0 0 0.15

Sept. 28 26 160 7 0 0.50

Oct. 21 17 1214 35 3 4.66

Nov. 0 0 0 0 0 0

Do

ver

Apr. 4 4 7 2 0 0.18

0.11

May 20 14 47 0 0 0.28

June 22 7 18 0 0 0.11

July 25 3 3 0 0 0.02

Aug. 31 5 5 0 0 0.02

Sept. 30 13 25 0 0 0.07

Oct. 18 7 13 1 0 0.05

Nov. 2 0 0 0 0 0

San

dw

ich

Bay

Apr. 2 2 9 6 0 0.46

0.67

May 29 20 86 2 0 0.36

June 28 20 214 1 0 1.02

July 15 7 20 48 0 0.16

Aug. 11 6 24 6 0 0.24

Sept. 29 27 685 0 6 2.07

Oct. 28 16 147 0 0 0.40

Nov. 2 0 0 0 0 0

Weather Variables

4.17 Consideration has been given to the influence of weather variables on bat activity, including the degree of moon illumination and the prevailing wind.

Influence of the Moon

4.18 The moon was 0-25 % or 75-100 % illuminated on 34 % of nights and 26-50 or 51-75 % illuminated on 16 % of nights. Across the sites, the highest levels of activity were recorded when illumination of the moon was 0-25 % (average of 25.9 bats per night). The lowest level of activity was recorded when the moon was 26-50 % illuminated (average of 3.8 bats per night).

9 A feeding buzz is identified by a rapid decrease in the Inter Pulse Interval (IPI) or time between calls and an increase in frequency

modulation. See example call in Appendix 3, Figure A3.1.


13 12/12/2013

Table 4.5: Number of Nathusius’ pipistrelle per night at all sites combined compared to level of illumination of the moon

Month Percentage of Moon Illumination (%) Average Bats

Per Night 0-25 26-50 51-75 76-100

April 1 0 0.5 2.2 4

May 5.1 7 6.2 6 11.4

June 7.3 7 11.8 9.7 14.2

July 0.9 2.8 6.8 3.4 5.2

August 2.7 2 4.8 0.7 4.7

September 46.8 7.2 47.2 13 33.5

October 117.3 0.5 16.3 22.9 57.3

Average Bats Per Night 25.9 3.8 13.3 8.3 18.6

Percentage of Passes 59 5 15 21 100

Influence of Wind Direction and Speed

4.19 On nights when Nathusius’ pipistrelle were recorded throughout the recording period 50% of winds were westerly (225-315°), 34 % were southerly (135-225°), 9 % were northerly (315-45°) and 7 % were easterly (45-135°). Of these, 54 % of passes (32.8 B/night) were recorded during westerly winds, 24 % (24.4 B/night) during southerly winds, 13 % during easterly winds (8.2 B/night) and 9 % during northerly winds (5.3 B/night).

4.20 For the purposes of interpretation wind speeds have been broken down into 5 kilometre per hour (km/h

10) periods. The lowest wind speed of 6-10 Km/h occurred on 14 % of nights and 20.1 B/night

of Nathusius’ passes were recorded in this period. Although only 24 % of nights were when wind speeds were 11-15 km/h, the highest level of activity was recorded within this period (45.2 % of passes; 31.6 B/night). Nathusius’ pipistrelle activity was substantially lower with increasing wind speeds, with 12.4 B/night at 16-20 km/h, 5.3 B/night at 21-25 km/h and 6.9 B/night at 26-30 km/h (combined accounting for 59 % of nights).

4.21 On 23rd

October 187 Nathusius’ pipistrelle passes were recorded between 19:00 and 21:30 at Dungeness when southerly winds were in excess of 30 km/h. It is likely that an individual was foraging in the lee of the bund around the cottages. This high level of activity has skewed the data making it seem as if activity was frequent (38.7 B/night), however without this night of data it’s 7.5 B/night.

Influence of Wind and Moon in Combination

4.22 Table 4.6 identifies the Nathusius’ pipistrelle passes per night based on wind direction, wind speed and illumination of the moon in combination.

There were 59 % of Nathusius’ pipistrelle passes when illumination of the moon was 0-25 % (25.9 B/h). 31.1 % of these passes were recorded during September and October when wind speeds were 11-20 km/hr.

10

3.5 km/h is approximately 1 m per second (m/s) therefore wind speeds of more than 30 km/h are more than 8 m/s


14 12/12/2013

Table 4.6: Nathusius’ pipistrelle passes per night based on wind direction, wind speed and illumination of the moon

Mo

nth

Wind Dir.

Wind speed

6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 30+

Total B/night

Moon 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Ap

ril

N

2

2

2

W

6

6

S

3.5

1.5

3

2.7

E

0

Ma

y

N 9

10.5

5.5 6

5.7 3

13

6.9

W

9 3

15 3.3 5

10

6.5

S

14

2 3

2.5 1

4

5.4

E

5

0

Ju

ne

N

4

4

1 14

1

0.5

3.0

W

15 10.7

6

21 2

4

10

10

S

10

23 7

39

38

3 18.1

E

4

7

1

6

Ju

ly

N

2

1 1

4.7 0.8

2

W

7

4 1

3.3

S 2

3

5

10

10

6.7

E 0.5 3 4 1.5

2

1.9

Au

g.

N

15

1

3.5

8.5

6.7

W

1

2

1 0.5 3

4

2

1.9

S 4

1

1

3

2.6

E

1

1

Se

pt.

N

28

4

8

25

16.3

W

98 24 175

49 15.5

4

3.5

2

38.2

S

22 16

11 145

42.0

E 38

5

5

2

4 1

6

12.4

Oc

t.

N

1

0

1

W

263.7

166

35 2

143.0

S 68

6

4

15

8

1 3.7

188 26.1

E

14 22 4

9.5

11.8

Total B / night

18.2 2.0 47.6 6.0 74.1 5.0 8.1 8.2 20.9 5.2 3.3 5.6 3.5 1.8 12.9 3.2 6.6 3.3 6.0 4.8 5.0 7.8 0.0 95.5 23.3

NB: Wind speed is in km/h; Moon level 1 is 0-25 % illumination, 2 is 26-50 % illumination, 3 is 51-75 % illumination and 4 is 75-100 % illumination. N = a northerly wind which is 315-45°; E = an easterly wind which is 45-135°; S = a southerly wind which is 135-225°; and W = a westerly wind which is 225-315°.


15 12/12/2013

5 Discussion

All Species

5.1 Bat species recorded at the each site in 2013 mainly comprised regionally common species. Until recently, Nathusius’ pipistrelle was infrequently encountered during standard surveys throughout the country (Bat Conservation Trust, 2012). However, in recent years the frequency of encounters has increased. The Bat Conservation Trust (2012) states that the increase in records in the British Isles in recent years may reflect sampling effort, although the possibility that the species’ range is expanding cannot be discounted. Results for each species (or genus where relevant) are discussed below:

5.2 Pipistrelle bats

Common pipistrelle

5.3 Common pipistrelle was the most frequently recorded species at each of the sites, with 9.12 B/h recorded (n = 12,759; 70% of all recorded passes) at all sites combined throughout 2013. It is also the most common species of bat in the UK (Hundt, 2012). Passes were recorded before sunset at each of the sites, and after sunrise at Dover. The frequency and timing of passes is indicative of the presence of transitional roosts

11 with low numbers of bats present in proximity to each of the

sites.

5.4 July and August were the months of greatest activity at each site with 11.2 B/h at Dungeness, 1.8 B/h at Dover and 17.2 B/h at Sandwich Bay. In the UK common pipistrelle young are typically born in July and suckle until mid-August, with adult females foraging intensely during this period, typically within a short distance of a maternity roost. These peaks of activity therefore suggest that each detector was positioned within the ranging distance of a local maternity roost. Across the sites, the peak period of activity was recorded between half an hour before sunset and 3 hours after sunset in which 4.05 B/h were recorded. The lowest level of activity was recorded before sunrise (0.7 B/h). This pattern of activity is typical of foraging common pipistrelle in the UK.

5.5 Common pipistrelle is considered to be sedentary12

in the UK with regular roost changes up to 34 km (maximum recorded distance 69 km in England) and there are a limited number of long-distance records from Europe, with less than 1 % moving father than 15 km in a long-term population study (Hutterer et al, 2006). It is therefore reasonable to conclude that this pattern is a result of occasional intense periods of foraging in the vicinity of the detector rather than migratory behaviour.

Nathusius’ pipistrelle

5.6 Nathusius’ pipistrelle was the second most frequently recorded species at each of the sites, with a rate of 0.8 B/h recorded (n = 2,870; 19 % of all recorded passes) at all sites combined throughout 2013. The species was recorded every month at each site between April and October inclusive. The highest level of activity was recorded at Dungeness (0.92 B/h; Nathusius’ pipistrelle recorded on 73 % of bat nights) and the lowest at Dover (0.11 B/h; 35 % of bat nights). At Sandwich Bay 0.67 B/h were recorded and Nathusius’ pipistrelle was noted on 69 % of bat nights.

5.7 The peaks of activity varied greatly at each site as shown on Figure 4.2. However, at each site Nathusius’ pipistrelle activity was more frequently recorded during periods when European populations are known to be migrating compared with the non-migratory periods. At Dungeness Nathusius’ pipistrelles were recorded on 93% of bat nights in spring and autumn (April-May and September-October) and 53% of bat nights during summer (June-August). At Dover these figures were 53% spring and autumn and 19% during summer, and at Sandwich these were 74% and 61% respectively.

11

Bats may occupy a transitional roost for a few days or several weeks. Transitional roosts such as this may be occupied by a few

individuals or occasionally small groups (Hundt, 2012). 12

Dietz et al (2009) consider sedentary bat species to perform a seasonal migration of usually less than 50 or 100km; regional migrants

regularly change their locations by more than 100km and up to some hundreds of kilometres; and long distance migrants have annual migrations over thousands of kilometres.


16 12/12/2013

5.8 As Figure 4.1 shows, for common pipistrelle and the other five species combined there was a peak of activity in July and August at each site. These peaks may be due to an increase in the number of volant young and/or periods of intense foraging during favourable weather conditions. In contrast, the level of Nathusius’ pipistrelle activity was consistently low in July and August. The dip in activity could indicate that a small resident population is present, supplemented by migrating bats in spring and autumn.

5.9 There are several schools of thought with regard to likely bat migration into and out of Britain. One theory is that bats which hibernate in south-western Europe come to the UK to breed in summer to seek more favourable habitats and climatic conditions. Those bats then depart in autumn to hibernate in south-western Europe again, perhaps where the roosting opportunities offer more favourable energetic conditions.

5.10 Another theory is that bats which breed in north-eastern Europe come to the UK to hibernate in autumn to avoid the harsh climatic conditions. They then return in spring to breed in areas where there are plenty of wetlands and other favourable habitats with high insect abundance.

5.11 Studies in mainland Europe suggest that during early autumn, Nathusius’ pipistrelle females begin to migrate in a south-westerly direction to congregate and mate with the males (Hutterer et al,

2006). In late autumn/early winter, both sexes begin to migrate further south-west to hibernation sites in Western Europe. Occurrences of individuals recorded on oil platforms in the North Sea between September and November is consistent with either overshooting or migratory behaviour. The increases in activity recorded at Dungeness in October and Sandwich Bay in September may indicate that an influx of bats is occurring at this time.

5.12 Occurrence of bats on oil platforms in May is consistent with migration in a north-easterly direction. This behaviour may be reflected in the high levels of recorded passes at Dover in May (0.28 B/h). It is suggested that the species migrates from Scandinavia to avoid the harsh winters and then overwinters in the British Isles (Hutterer et al, 2006).

5.13 Throughout the sites, the majority of Nathusius’ pipistrelle passes (n = 1,684; 58.5% of passes; 1.25 B/h) were recorded in the middle of the night, i.e. the period between 3 hours after sunset and 3 hours before sunrise and 31.6 % were recorded between half an hour before sunset to 3 hours after sunset (0.58 B/h). This is distinct from the pattern of nightly activity for common pipistrelle and the other species, with a reduced level of activity within the key period of foraging.

5.14 If a migrating bat is flying at a rate of 18-29 km/hr it would take approximately 1.2-1.9 hours to cross the 34 km between France and Dover

13. Considering this, it is possible that the increase in

passes between 3 hours of sunset and sunrise is due to migratory individuals commuting through the site rather than local animals foraging.

5.15 At Dover 8 passes were recorded before sunset (earliest passes 22 minutes before sunset on 17th

May and 29th September) and at Sandwich Bay 12 passes were recorded before sunset (earliest

pass 8 minutes before sunset on 16th May). These passes prior to the typical emergence times for

the species suggest the individual roosted close by. The passes may have been a resident bat in a regular transitional roost or a migratory individual making an early start as it heads across the channel or heads further inland to find a more appropriate roost site.

5.16 Feeding buzzes of Nathusius’ pipistrelle were recorded at each of the sites. The highest levels were recorded at Sandwich Bay (n = 69; 0.015 B/h) and Dungeness (n = 39; 0.009 B/h). This corresponds with locations where moth traps are run on a nightly basis and suggests that individuals are attracted by the traps and are opportunistically or purposefully foraging within the sites. Conversely a low number of feeding buzzes were recorded at Dover (n = 2; 0.0004 B/h) where there are no artificial attractants in the vicinity of the detector. The absence of bias at Dover means the data are likely to be more representative of a typical coastal site.

13

There are many variables to consider in calculating the time a migrating individual will arrive in Kent. (i) The speed of 18-29 km/h

equates to 5-8 meters per second. These speeds are approximate and depend on prevailing wind conditions. (ii) The distance of 34 km is the shortest point at which a bat could cross the channel. It is not likely that all bats take the shortest possible route therefore the crossing may take longer. (iii) The time at which bats leave France after sunset is unknown and is likely to vary depending on weather and the distance the bat has already migrated. (iv) The behaviour of bats when they reach the coast is unknown. Individuals may disperse inland immediately or travel along the coast until they reach a feature such as a river to follow. There is a greater chance of recording bats in the latter scenario.


17 12/12/2013

5.17 Nathusius’ pipistrelle social calls were recorded at Dungeness and Sandwich Bay in October and September respectively. The timing of the passes suggests that the sites were possibly being used by a lekking male. Males establish territories in which they call to attract mates. Studies in mainland Europe suggest that males migrate before females to establish territories on migration routes (Dietz, 2009). It is possible that migratory individuals were social calling within the site as part of a transitory territory.

5.18 Studies on other bat species suggest bats migrate at night during low wind speeds and low illumination of the moon (Cryan & Brown, 2007). Cryan & Brown also noted that an increase in encounters could also be a result of migration at lower altitudes or individuals making more stops on nights with low wind speeds.

5.19 For bats to come to the UK in autumn it is expected that light easterly winds will be most favourable because a light following wind would assist passage. Suitable conditions were only present on 14% of nights in September and October and there were not substantially more passes recorded on these nights. The lowest numbers of passes were recorded during northerly winds. At the three sites 31.1 % of passes were recorded during September and October when westerly winds were at speeds of 11-20 km/hr and when illumination of the moon was 0-25 %. These are likely to have been the most favourable nights for migration because winds were in excess of 21 km/hr for 37.5 % of September and October. It is therefore possible that bats used the best available conditions to migrate. However, the occurrence of light westerly winds and low illumination of the moon may also be favourable for foraging bats at each of the sites.

Soprano pipistrelle

5.20 Soprano pipistrelle bats were recorded at a rate of 0.4 B/h (n = 1,704; 9 % of all recorded passes) at all sites combined throughout 2013. The species was recorded throughout May-September at Dungeness (0.2 B/h), June-September at Dover (0.02 B/h) and during all months at Sandwich Bay (0.9 B/h). At each site July-September were the months in which the highest level of activity was recorded.

5.21 These peaks in activity correspond with the period in which volant14

young are beginning to emerge from roosts, at which point there is an increase in population size (Hundt, 2012). Therefore it is reasonable to suggest that the increases in passes noted at each location are attributable to a small resident local population. This is further supported by the pattern of activity throughout the night, with the greatest levels of activity recorded in the first three hours after sunset (n = 1,043; 61% of recorded soprano pipistrelle passes), the period in which the greatest level of bat activity typically occurs in the UK (Hundt, 2012).

Nyctalus sp. and serotine

5.22 Nyctalus species (noctule and Leisler’s bat) and serotine are ‘big bats’ which are known to migrate considerable distances in mainland Europe. Low levels of big bat activity were recorded at each site, with 0.01 to 0.02 noctules per hour (total n = 52), 0.01 Leisler’s bat passes per hour (n = 44), and for serotine less than 0.01 B/h (n = 14) at all sites combined throughout 2013. The highest rate of activity was recorded in August when 0.06 B/h were recorded across the sites. At Dungeness noctule passes were recorded before sunset in May and September. At Sandwich Bay five noctule passes were recorded before sunset in May, June and September. These early passes are within the typical emergence period for the species. The patterns of occurrence throughout the year and throughout each night are also typical for the species.

Myotis sp.

5.23 Bats in the Myotis genus were recorded on 267 occasions, averaging 0.06 B/h across the three sites throughout 2013. The highest levels of activity were recorded at each site in August (n = 102; 0.15 B/h). Throughout the night, 39 % of passes were recorded between half an hour and 3 hours after sunset (n = 105; 0.11 B/h) and a similar number of passes were recorded within the ‘middle of the night,’ although this equates to a lower number of B/h (n = 145; 0.01 B/h). Only 6 % of passes were recorded within 3 hours of sunrise (n = 17).

14

Bat young which are able to fly


18 12/12/2013

5.24 Myotis species typically favour structured habitats, foraging within woodlands, along hedgerows or over water bodies. The low number of passes at each site is likely to be a result of the relatively open landscapes surrounding the detectors which are of low suitability for the species.

5.25 A single pass was recorded before sunset at Dover and Dungeness in June and August respectively. These passes are substantially earlier than the typical emergence times for species of the Myotis genera. The causes of the early passes are unknown. It is possible that individuals may have been disturbed at transitional roosts nearby.

Long-eared bats

5.26 Confirmed long-eared bat passes were recorded at Dover and Sandwich Bay (a total of 16 passes were noted at the two sites (0.004 B/h)). The absence of confirmed records at Dungeness is likely to be due to the flight behaviour and detectability of long-eared bat species. They typically commute to foraging sites along features such as hedgerows or ditches. The open landscape surrounding the detector is of low suitability for the species and they would have to be relatively close to the detector in order to be recorded (AnaBats have a 9m frontal detection range for the species (see Appendix 3)). The habitats at Dover and Sandwich Bay are more favourable for the species. In addition, as discussed in the Limitations to this Study in Section 2, the use of the moth trap in proximity to the bat detectors at Dungeness and Sandwich Bay may deter (and therefore under record) long-eared bat species as they are sensitive to lighting.


19 12/12/2013

6 Conclusion

6.1 For most species recorded in 2013 no clear patterns of activity emerged. However, as at Dungeness in 2012, for Nathusius’ pipistrelle there was a notable increase in bat passes per hour during the known spring and autumn periods, when the species is known to be migrating in continental Europe. Activity levels and timing varied between sites; however, peaks were identified in September and October which corresponded with the key period in which breeding bats in north-eastern mainland Europe are considered to head south-west from Scandinavia to hibernate in warmer climates. The May peak corresponded with the period in which these south-western hibernating bats then return to north-eastern breeding grounds. The peaks could also be explained by southern hibernating bats migrating north to British breeding grounds in spring and south to hibernating sites in autumn, or a combination of these. A continued low level of passes in July and August suggest that there are also resident populations in the local areas which become augmented with migrants from southern Europe in spring or northern Europe in autumn.

6.2 Neither the 2012 or 2013 data provide incontrovertible evidence of Nathusius’ pipistrelle migration, however, the frequency of records of the species returned at each site are similar to the pattern of activity revealed by data sources including the National Bat Monitoring Programme survey results, grounded bats within the UK and occurrence of bats on oil platforms and other offshore structures.

6.3 There are several ways in which this study could be expanded and moved forward in future years. These include continued surveys at coastal and inland locations, ringing and radio tracking studies to establish with certainty that migration occurs across the English Channel and stable isotope analysis of hair samples collected throughout the UK.

6.4 Effectively conserving a migratory species poses a different problem to conserving a species that is strictly resident. Many of Britain’s long distance migrant passerines (birds such as pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca) are currently in decline, and one of the reasons appears to be habitat loss or degradation on their wintering grounds and/or in staging areas used during migration. Co-ordinated international measures are therefore needed to effectively conserve migratory species where similar impacts could occur.

6.5 It follows that until we understand whether there is regular migration of bats into and out of the UK, at what scale this occurs and where bats are coming from or going to, we cannot effectively conserve our bat populations or understand the range of potential causes of perceived declines. Our study can only go some way towards answering the key questions with regard to bat migration, but we hope that it raises awareness and stimulates more research.


20 12/12/2013

7 References

Ahlen, J. Bach, L., Baagoe, H.J. & Pettersson, J. (2007). Bats and offshore wind turbines studied in southern Scandinavia. Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Report 5571. Stockholm.

University of Bristol / BCT. (2009) Determining the potential ecological impact of wind turbines on bat populations in Britain; Scoping and method development report. Report to Defra.

Bat Conservation Trust & Institution of Lighting Engineers (2009) Bats and Lighting in the UK: Bats and the Built Environment Series. Bat Conservation Trust.

Bat Conservation Trust. (2012) The National Bat Monitoring Programme. Annual Report 2011. Bat Conservation Trust, London. www.bats.org.uk

Cryan, P.M. & Brown, A.C. (2007) Migration of bats past a remote island offers clues toward the problem of bat fatalities at wind turbines. Biological Conservation.

Dietz, C., Nill, D. & Von Helversen, O. (2009) Handbook of the Bats of Europe and Northwest Africa. A & C Black Publishers Ltd, London.

Furmankiewicz, J & Kucharska, M. (2009) Migration of Bats along a Large River Valley in Southwestern Poland. Journal of Mammalogy 90(6):1310-1317.

Harris, S. & Yalden, D. W. (2008) Mammals of the British Isles handbook (4th edition). Southampton: The Mammal Society.

Hundt, L. (2012) Bat Surveys: Good Practice Guidelines, 2nd

Edition. Bat Conservation Trust.

Hutterer, R., Ivanova, T., Meyer-Cords, C. (2006) Bat Migrations in Europe, A review of Banding Data and Literature. Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.

Jennings, L, Gabb, O & Betts, S. (2013) Dungeness Kent, Bat Migration Pilot Study. BSG Ecology

Russ, J.M., O'Neill, J.K. & Montgomery, W.I. (1998) Nathusius' pipistrelle Pipistrellus nathusii (Keyserling & Blasius, 1839) breeding in Ireland. Journal of Zoology, 245: 345-349.

Russ, J. M., Hutson, A.M., Montgomery, W.I., Racey, P.A. & Speakman, J.R. (2001) The status of Nathusius' pipistrelle (Pipistrellus nathusii Keyserling & Blasius, 1839) in the British Isles. Journal of Zoology, 254, 91±100.

Voigt, C.C., Popa-Lisseanu, A.G., Niermann, I. & Kramer-Schadt, S (2012) The catchment area of wind farms for European bats: A plea for international regulations. Biological Conservation 153, 80-86.

http://www.bats.org.uk/


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Appendix 1 – Figures

Figure A1.1: Bat Detector Locations

41 km


22 12/12/2013

Appendix 2 – Photographs

Photo 1: Dungeness - Row of terraced houses with bird observatory to the right

Photo 2: Dungeness - Surrounding scrub vegetation

Photo 3: Dover – scrub west of detector Photo 4: Dover – view south towards Dover Port

Photo 5: Sandwich Bay – detector location and view north

Photo 6: Sandwich Bay – pond directly south of the detector


23 12/12/2013

Appendix 3

Static detector set-up

The AnaBat SD1 bat detectors were placed in camouflaged waterproof boxes with a 12V battery attached. The microphones were attached to 3m cables which were connected to the detector. The microphones were housed inside sealed curved pipes to keep water off the microphones without incurring significant loss in sensitivity. The pipes were positioned at approximately 1.5m height without any solid objects present close to the microphone that might have resulted in interference or impedance to recording bat calls.

Assessment of bat data

AnaBat SD1 frequency division bat detectors were used to record bat calls. The AnaBat provides a frequency down conversion which generates audible audio signals with frequencies directly related to those the bat is producing.

The likelihood of detecting bats acoustically depends on the propagation of sound through air, the characteristics of bat calls, and the way sound is received and processed by the bat detector. Previous collaborative research by BSG and Bristol University has shown that bat detectors detect calls from some species of bats at greater distances than others. In general, bats with calls that can be detected over greater distances are larger bats which use calls that are both high amplitude and low frequency, such as noctule, and the most difficult to detect are those which use low amplitude calls, such as the brown long-eared bat and barbastelle, or high frequencies, such as horseshoe bats Rhinolophus spp. Table 3.1 shows the mean frontal detection range of AnaBats for echolocation calls from UK bat species based on research undertaken by BSG in collaboration with Bristol University (Holderied et al., unpublished data).

Table A3.1: Estimated mean frontal detection ranges for selected bat species using AnaBat detectors at standard ‘field’ settings.

English name Latin name Mean frontal detection range (m)

Soprano pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus 24

Brown long-eared bat Plecotus auritus 9

Natterer’s bat Myotis nattereri 13

Noctule Nyctalus noctula 47

Leisler’s bat Nyctalus leisleri 38

Lesser horseshoe bat Rhinolophus hipposideros 7

Bat call identification

Recorded bat calls were analysed using Analook software to confirm the identity of the bats present. Where possible, the bat was identified to species level. For species of long-eared bats records were not identified to species level due to the overlapping call parameters of each species. There is an increased likelihood that the recorded passes refer to brown long-eared bats because although the south coast is a stronghold for grey long-eared bats Plecotus austriacus, the species has not been recorded locally and is relatively rare (Harris & Yalden, 2008). Species of the genus Myotis were grouped together as many of the species have overlapping call parameters, making species identification problematic (Hundt, 2012).


24 12/12/2013

For Pipistrellus species the following criteria, based on measurements of peak frequency, were used to classify calls:

Common pipistrelle ≥ 42 kHz and < 49 kHz

Soprano pipistrelle > 51 kHz

Nathusius’ pipistrelle / Kuhl’s pipistrelle ≥ 35 kHz and ≤ 40 kHz

Common pipistrelle / Soprano pipistrelle ≥ 49 kHz and < 51 kHz

Common pipistrelle / Nathusius’ pipistrelle > 40 kHz and < 42 kHz

Bat calls which could not be ascribed to any of these categories were not used in the analysis.

By conducting analysis of bat calls in isolation without supporting evidence of identification in the hand it was not possible to determine whether any rarities or vagrants were recorded. There is potential for some calls regarded as Nathusius’ pipistrelle within the report to be Kuhl’s pipistrelle Pipistrellus kuhlii. The call parameters between the two species are almost identical, being distinguishable only where social calls are present (Dietz, 2009). Little is known about the distribution of Kuhl’s pipistrelle in the UK. Dietz (2009) states that the species is often associated with human settlements and roosts in tree/cliff crevices and in building gaps and cellars. The occurrence of vagrant individuals or migration by this species to and from the UK cannot be discounted.

Calculation of relative activity

The Analook software enables analysis of the relative activity of different species of bats by counting the minimum number of bats recorded within discrete sound files. Once triggered by ultrasound, the AnaBat records sound files with a duration of 15 seconds, which may contain a number of individual bat passes, or discrete groups of ultrasound ‘pulses’. For the purposes of this analysis, the recording of one or more passes by a single species of bat within a 15 second sound file is counted as a single bat pass (B).

Being as night length and the number of days recording varied between months, it is necessary to provide a measure of ‘relative activity’. In this analysis, bat passes per hour (B/h) has been used by dividing the number of bat passes by the number of recording hours.

Constraints of analysis

More than one pass of the same species was counted within a sound file if multiple bats were recorded calling simultaneously. During analysis of sound files, it was possible to estimate the minimum number of bats recorded on individual sound files but not whether consecutive sound files had recorded, for example, a number of individual bats passing the detector as they commute to a feeding habitat or one bat calling repeatedly as it foraged by the detector.

In order to remove this constraint vantage point surveys or infrared cameras could have been used, however both methods were considered to be labour intensive and likely to yield limited beneficial information.

Identifying Feeding Buzzes

In order to classify the calls as being likely commuting or foraging passes the number of feeding buzzes made by Nathuisus’ pipistrelle were counted. A typical feeding buzz is characterised by a decrease in the Inter Pulse Interval (IPI) or time between calls and an increase in frequency modulation as shown in Figure A3.1 below. Any social calls were also noted for the species.


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Figure A3.1: Two feeding buzzes of a Nathusius’ pipistrelle shown at F6 compressed in Analook.

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